Walk This Way: Lake Street and Marshall Avenue

It’s hard to believe that it has been 8 months since my last major thoroughfare walk along Lyndale Avenue. Saturday, November 7, 2015 presented my ideal walking conditions: brisk 50ºF temperature, partial sun, and blue skies. After consulting my walk wish list for ideas, I opted for a stroll along Lake Street/Marshall Avenue. My walking companion for the day was my husband Scott. I live tweeted our adventure using #LakeMarshallWalk.

Walk Stats

Distance: 12.36 miles

Elapsed time: 5:29:35

Moving time: 4:06:41

Average pace: 19 minutes/mile

The Route

This walk had us set foot in three cities: St. Louis Park, Minneapolis, and St. Paul.

Starting Point

Identifying the most accurate starting point for our west to east journey along Lake Street and Marshall Avenue was challenging. Wikipedia states that “Lake Street is coextensive with Minnetonka Boulevard running nearly a mile into St. Louis Park.” However, both Google maps and the St. Louis Park citywide map only use Minnetonka Blvd (Hwy 5) to label that section of the street. A stickler for details, I was relieved of my starting point anxiety when my husband, Scott, suggested we just start at the point when Lake Street starts appearing on the sign posts. If anyone knows the official western starting point for Lake Street, please let me know in the comments!

Getting to the Starting Point

Typically we use MetroTransit or Car2Go to get to and from our longer distance walks but since we were unsure of the precise starting point, we opted to drive our car to St. Louis Park.

Lake Street starts appearing on signs at Huntington Avenue in St. Louis Park

Ending Point

The eastern end point of Marshall Avenue is at John Ireland Boulevard.

Returning to the Starting Point

Though riding the Route 21 bus back to our starting point was tempting so that we could recap all we saw from a different vantage point, it would have taken us an hour and a half. Thankfully, we only had to backtrack a few blocks on Marshall Avenue after reaching the end point to hop into a Car2Go.

Marshall Avenue ends at John Ireland Blvd in St. Paul

Caught My Eye Along the Way

There is no way I could capture all the wonderful gems along this 12 mile stretch. I may well have missed some of your favorite spots. Good thing we have a comments section where you can share what catches your eye when you’re on Lake Street and Marshall Avenue!

How Much is that Turkey in the Window?

Let’s just get the weirdest thing we saw all day out of the way – inflatable turkeys hanging in front of Thomas Charles Salon.

Inflatable turkeys outside Thomas Charles Salon

Exclamation Point

To give St. Louis Park (SLP) some love, we stopped two blocks into our walk to fuel up at yum! Kitchen and Bakery (warning: autoplay video on the homepage). Voted Best of the Best in St. Louis Park, yum! had help from Shea Design and recently expanded to Minnetonka in the former Pairings spot (6001 Shady Oak Road). This summer, the SLP yum! closed for a day after a driver crashed through their front window injuring two people. Scott chose the ahi tuna sandwich and a Surly Furious. I opted for the pop salad for lunch (field greens, pears, bleu cheese, scallions & popped wild rice w/ maple vinaigrette) but then more than made up for my healthy choice by getting a “nut goodly bar” five hours later when we picked up our car.

Scott and I stopped for lunch at yum! Kitchen at the start of our walk

Memories

Walking this stretch of Lake Street allowed me to trip down memory lane. In 2002, my sister and I lived in the apartments at 3028 Ewing Avenue S., formerly known as Williamsburg Estates. It is during this era that I met “Lisa from the bus.” Lisa worked at the University of Minnesota at the time and we got to know each other during our commutes to work. We bonded by commiserating the loss of our beloved MetroTransit Route 53P express route to campus. Lisa (I’ve since dropped “from the bus” when I refer to her) and I have been friends ever since. For the past two years, she and I know have a weekly 6 AM walk date, a routine I recommend if you want to strengthen a friendship.

Start Seeing Art

The Lake in Lake Street

A view of Bde Maka Ska (Lake Calhoun) from Lake Street

All the Colors of the Rainbow

Here’s just one example of why Lake Street has been my go-to place for an infusion of color on those inevitable stretches of time when we don’t see the sun for days. “Sing a Song for Uptown” by Greta McLain is on the west side of 1422 W Lake Street, otherwise known as The Rainbow House Office Building. The brief description of the history of this building has me on a mission to learn more about T.B. Walker, an Iowan who heard great things about Minneapolis. Sounds familiar. Oh yeah, he’s that Walker – as in the library and art center.

Sing a Song of Uptown mural by Greta McLain is on the west side of 1422 W Lake Street

Rainbow Building & Shops was built in 1910 by T.B. Walker’s Red River Lumber Company

Lake & Hennepin

As a kid growing up in small town Iowa in the ’90’s, I loved our visits to Uptown. I distinctly remember walking into Prince’s New Power Generation store and being both intrigued and intimidated. And, in stark contrast, buying my first pair of Birkenstocks at Bay Street Shoes. No matter what changes happen to the intersection of Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue, I will always have a special place in my heart for this part of Lake Street.

Speaking of change, we stopped at Calhoun Square to see the latest modifications. One of the biggest changes made by Ackerberg Group is the entrance location which was moved from the corner to the Lake Street side of the building. I was drawn to a community board in a corner by The Kitchen Window because mosaic artist Stacia Goodman’s “What’s Up Town” installation. While scoping things out, we encountered a young girl riding the escalators just as I would have done as a kid. She proudly told us she had gone up and down more than 50 times.

Calhoun Square at Lake Street & Hennepin Avenue

Hot Tub Time Machine

The Walkway (and hot tub) at 1320 W Lake Street

I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the most (in)famous hot tub (for 15 seconds) in Minneapolis.

I See Robots

Props to the artists who can see something besides a robot when they look at a utility box. Wrapping these boxes in art with the goal of preventing graffiti has been done around town for awhile and the box I found on Lake Street was part of a recent project by the Uptown Association.

A utility box wrapped in artwork on Lake Street

Rainbow Connections

I was first drawn to the mural on the side of Schatzlein Saddle Shop at 419 W. Lake Street because of the rainbow which made me think the horse was a unicorn. Ha! I must have been getting tired. Later, I discovered more to love about this mural. First, a search for more information about its artist, Jason Najarak led me to a blog post by a former colleague whom I haven’t seen in many years, Susan Gainen. That post led me to listen to an Art Hounds piece that featured Ed Vogel, one of my Kingfield neighborhood tour guides for my “currently on hiatus blog,” Minneapolis 81. Hi Susan! Hi Ed!

Thanks to the mural descriptions by Susan and the Schatzlein Saddle Shop, I want to go back to the mural and find HC Akeley, James J Hill, and T.B. Walker.

I love making connections.

Horses on Lake Street mural by Jason Najarak on the west side of Schlatzein Saddle Shop at 413 W Lake Street

Too bad my dreams were later crushed by streets.mn’s very own Bill Lindeke.

Kmart at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue

Do Gooders on Lake Street

Beauty is only skin deep? Not in the case of Good Grocer. It’s uplifting exterior design carries through to the inside where healthy food is made more affordable due in part to the community member model. If you’re like me, you may wonder if you can shop there without a membership. You can, and as this Twin Cities Daily Planet article points out, everyone is welcome.

Good Grocer at 122 E Lake Street

Fading But Not Forgotten

While I love walking along new-to-me streets, there is something to be said for revisiting them. I’ve been by 730 E. Lake Street on foot, bus, and car many times but I just now discovered the ghost murals on the western side. The one that caught my attention is an old advertisement for Lee Overalls, a product that is no longer made. My photo doesn’t capture the fact that this is the building that housed Roberts Shoes for 77 years. The family business closed in 2014.

Lee overalls ghost mural advertisement on the side of 730 E Lake Street

Beer & Chili

Most of my walks with Scott involve a beer stop and luckily for him, we could stop at East Lake Street Craft Brewery in the Midtown Global Market at 920 E Lake Street. While we were there, the Market was having their annual chili cook-off, with proceeds going to Doing Good Together. Midtown Global Market is another go-to place for me when I’m in need of cheering up – it is a feast for the senses. The Vietnamese iced coffee from Pham’s Deli doesn’t hurt.

In the Heart of Lake Street

The first Sunday of May is always blocked on my calendar as May Day Parade day. This iconic Minneapolis event brings together people from all walks of life and Bloomington Avenue explodes with music, dancing, chanting, and my favorite – fire! In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater is responsible for this community gathering and others like the recent Nature Heals 30×30 event at the University of Minnesota.

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater at 1500 E Lake Street

Juice Stop

Reyna de los Jugos is one of many vendors inside Mercado Central at 1515 E. Lake Street. Drinking a vegetable juice gave me the energy boost I needed for the rest of the walk.

Reyna de los Jugos (Queen of the Juices) is sunshine in a cup

Know Your Artist

Despite my efforts to get to know more about the artists who are creating and beautifying our public and private spaces, I often take for granted the person or people behind specific installations. It turns out, I’m a huge fan of Greta McLain and I didn’t even know it. Not even when I took two photos of her work in a single day. “Together We Grow,” a mural project led by Greta is part of a larger Semilla Project to beautify and unite communities. After looking through Greta’s galleries, I now realize I’ve stopped to admire her work all over town.

Together We Grow mural on the side of La Mexicana at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue

Humanize Hi-Lake

One of the best Open Streets I’ve attended since its inaugural 2011 event was the East Lake Street event this year. That day, Kevin Kirch hand cranked a show “HiLake4EveryBody” at the intersection of Hiawatha Avenue and Lake Street. It was so engaging that I think about it anytime I’m at the intersection. Visit the Humanize Hi-Lake Facebook page for more information.

Scenes at the intersection of Hiawatha Avenue and East Lake Street

A Cool Sign

American Rug Laundry is so much more than a cool sign. It is the “largest and oldest rug cleaning company in the Upper Midwest” according to its website which has a collection of images from the past thanks to the Minnesota Historical Society.

American Rug Laundry at 4222 E Lake Street was established in 1895

The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For

Scott and I took our time crossing over the Mississippi River on the Lake/Marshall Bridge so that we could fully appreciate our transition from Lake Street to Marshall Avenue and cross the border into St. Paul.

#DogsofMarshallAvenue

Stopping to say hello to furry buddies is a must on walks with Scott. These four were particularly friendly.

Dogs of Marshall Avenue

Homes Sweet Homes

St. Paul is a great city for admiring beautiful homes. Just when you think you’ve seen them all, you find another pocket of unique homes to admire.

Big brick home

Grand home

Three turrets

Stately home

Debbie Montgomery Avenue

Between Lexington Parkway and Western Avenue, Marshall Avenue is also known as Debbie Montgomery Avenue to honor the former St. Paul City Council member who grew up during the civil rights era and became the first female officer in the St. Paul Police Department.

Debbie Montgomery Avenue

Oldest Catholic School Building in Minnesota

The former St. Joseph’s Academy (currently Christ’s Household of Faith) is on the National Register of Historic Places because it is, according to Wikipedia, “Minnesota’s oldest standing Catholic school—whose original section dates to 1863—also noted for its early Italianate architecture in yellow limestone.“

Former St. Joseph’s Academy / Current Christ’s Household of Faith

Type Hunting

The next time I take a street themed walk, I’m going to take photos of all of the interesting typography used to spell out the street name on signs. This game was inspired by this beautiful display of “Marshall” on an apartment entrance.

Beautiful typography

John Ireland

I strongly recommend taking time to get to know this 12-mile stretch by foot even if you have to break it down into smaller walks. Get out of your comfort zone and walk along sections you haven’t experienced. Go into the many storefronts and support the businesses and nonprofit organizations. This would be a great candidate for a progressive dinner – drinks, appetizers, main course, and dessert at different restaurants along the way. For more information and to learn about upcoming events, visit the Lake Street Council website.

Future walks

Other major streets in the Twin Cities to serve as future walking adventures:

Cedar Avenue (multiple cities)

Central Avenue (Minneapolis)

Hennepin Avenue (Minneapolis)

France Avenue (Bloomington/Edina/St. Louis Park)

Grand Avenue (St. Paul)

Franklin Avenue (Minneapolis)

Larpenteur Avenue (St. Paul)

Nicollet Avenue (Minneapolis)

Selby Avenue (St. Paul)

Summit Avenue (St. Paul)

University Avenue (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

Washington Avenue (Minneapolis)

38th Street (Minneapolis)

Suggest a Street

What’s your favorite street to explore in the Twin Cities? In Minnesota? In other states or countries?

Related

About Janelle Nivens

Janelle is an urban explorer who likes to challenge herself to walk long distances (40 miles is her record). She lives in southwest Minneapolis with Scott and their adorable dog Stewie and works at the University of Minnesota. Janelle documents what catches her eye on long walks in hopes of inspiring others to discover hidden gems in their own communities. Walk with her on Instagram, Twitter (@Janellie23), and FitBit.

18 Responses to Walk This Way: Lake Street and Marshall Avenue

I for one miss the Calhoun Square corner entrance. I’m sure it makes sense for internal circulation or other reasons but….Come on, it’s Hennepin and Lake. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have a door at the corner.

Regarding the Minnetonka Boulevard/W Lake Street distinction. I believe they’re imagined to be concurrent between France Ave and just west of TH 100, where Lake St diverges and goes at an angle toward Hopkins. The sign has been taken down at TH 100 since the new interchange project, but you can see in this old Street View that Minnetonka Blvd was co-signed as Lake St as far west as the interchange at Toledo Ave.

However, it’s heavily fragmented, much like Valley View Rd, Dodd Rd, and other routes. It’s broken up at TH 7, Texas Ave, and through Hopkins. West of Hopkins, it picks up again as “Lake Street Extension” which runs all the way to Old 101 (very close to Lake Minnetonka).

My (unverified) impression is that this diagonal Lake Street (starting at about TH 100) is named for Lake Minnetonka, while the Minneapolis Lake Street is named for the Minneapolis chain of lakes, and the ~1 mile “concurrency” is just to bridge two streets that coincidentally have the same name. I know from older maps that the Lake St name was applied to 30th St in Minneapolis after the area was fairly built up.

Personally, I think it would make a lot more sense if the Lake Street named continued until that diagonal divergence at 100, since that would be a less arbitrary start than France for the Minnetonka Blvd name. But I realize communities have their traditions. I’d be curious to know why newer signage in SLP only bears Minnetonka Blvd and not Lake St at all.

An 1892 map I’ve found suggests that the West Lake St through the core of St. Louis Park is associated with the Minneapolis street and not with Lake Minnetonka. It also suggests that, at the time, it went no farther west than roughly Blake Rd.

Thanks for weighing in on the Lake Street starting point. Also, I’m so glad you linked to the old street view because I thought I originally saw Lake Street around Toledo before. I recently got myself into a precarious walking situation around Hwy 169 and Minnetonka Blvd so I guess I’m OK that our start was so close to France Ave.

Point of order! The city will ask you to call a huge chunk of your walk Union Park, but those of us who are natives will be happy to share that the area between the River and Snelling (including Izzy’s, Choo Choo Bob’s, et al) is *really* called Merriam Park. The moniker of “Union Park” was created to join a couple of neighborhood councils that were too small to operate on their own. #stpaulite #nerd #nativeneighborhood

Also: that Selby walk would be great. The diversity of the styles would be fascinating. Lexington might also be an interesting walk, but MUCH longer and stretching up into Shoreview. West 7th/Fort Road would offer some interesting businesses and breweries.

I feel like I should have known that since I have a few friends who live in that hood! Also, I’ve frankly never heard anyone say Union Park. I will now have you review all blog posts related to St. Paul because I love your STP pride!

John! Thank you so much! It was Nora’s when I lived in that area but I couldn’t remember the name while I was writing this post. I had no idea there was a mini golf course and a drive-in there. Ch-ch-ch-changes! Thanks for sharing!

Though it is not academically clear, it reads like Minnetonka Blvd was the original name of the road before Minneapolis annexed portions of Richfield Township according to an 1888 map the society has. The first time Lake Street appears in the city happens when in 1891 a street car company builds line out to where Walker and Lake intersect.

The street car company later extends it segment by segment out to Hopkins bringing Lake Street as far as the road that becomes renamed Blake Road. The street car line zig zags here and there past, but Lake Street officially ends a few blocks after Blake Road. The Lake Street extension however, I don’t think that had any connection to Lake Street except for property surveyors drawing a line out on the other side of Hopkins that happens to be parallel with Lake Street’s end. Kind of like how Franklin in Minneapolis and Franklin in western Saint Louis Park sort of line up.

The portion of Minnetonka Blvd between France and the Lake/Minnetonka split was unofficially referred to as West Lake Street, then officially got a name change though most property owners continued using Lake/Minnetonka as their street address.

Interesting! Thanks for the details. So the diagonal Lake St exists solely because of the streetcar alignment?

I wasn’t intending to suggest that Lake St and Lake St Ext were ever directly connected — just that the route picks up again. Sort of like Nicollet Ave in Burnsville continues Nicollet Ave in Bloomington, even if they have never once connected.

As a general cultural practice, it is interesting how we rarely rename streets, even when we realign them. My favorite example is Kenwood Pkwy/Bryant Ave/Vineland Pl/Oak Grove St/15th St, which form a continuous street that has five names in a quarter mile.

The Lake Street diagonal was already platted out. Likely had a different name when it was a village, but when the street car line came the street was given the same name as the rest of the line to the east. If you pull up historical maps from the 1890s and early 1900s you can see a very interesting and expansive diagonal grid. Almost none of that diagonal grid exists anymore. Library Lane, Gorham Ave, Republic Ave are all that is left of the old diagonal grid, and those streets names have also changed through time. The entire area between the high school and Minnetonka was at the same diagonal grid, but was redrawn to a north south grid.

Thank you for this wonderful and positive article and thanks, also for linking folks to my article about the Good Grocer. It’s a wonderful alternative for those with limited income (and everyone else) who is looking to good, fresh food along what is otherwise a food desert.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

[…] Walk This Way: Lake Street and Marshall Avenue is another long walk from urban explorer Janelle Nivens; this one heads from west to east across Saint Louis Park, Minneapolis and Saint Paul finding many wonderful sights big and small along the way. Commenters add some historical and contextual detail about the route and its context; you can suggest future walks in the comments. […]